Play review: 'Sleuth'

Forestburgh — It would be difficult to imagine any actor turning in a more profound performance than that of Edward Juvier in the Forestburgh Playhouse production of "Sleuth."

Marcus KalipolitesMarcus Kalipolites

Forestburgh — It would be difficult to imagine any actor turning in a more profound performance than that of Edward Juvier in the Forestburgh Playhouse production of "Sleuth."

Resourceful beyond words, the talented performer has already demonstrated in two earlier shows of the summer season that, with deep conviction, he can portray characters as different as Jud in "Oklahoma!" and the Rev. Shaw Moore in "Footloose." As Andrew Wyke, an English writer of mysteries, Juvier was Oscar-winning brilliant.

In Tuesday night's opener of Anthony Shaffer's Tony Award-winning play, Juvier is totally engaging as his cunning and imaginative character "toys" with Milo Tindle, a younger man who would "take" Margeurite off Wyke's hands. In gaming the real estate agent, Juvier's character schemes a robbery in which Milo gets money and Wyke disposes of a cheating wife, or so it would seem in the complex and intriguing plot.

In his convincing performance, Juvier uses a whole range of dramatic tools, from ever-changing facial expressions and vocal inflections to nonstop movement and prevailing on the younger man to try out several costumes for a heist, including a white hood, a monk's cape, a gorilla head and finally a clown's outfit that includes a wig of flaming red hair.

As Milo, Ian Lowe creates a cordial character naive enough to think that Wyke would accept his proposal. Besides sharing scintillating dialogue, the two men also frolic as Milo playfully changes costumes.

If Milo comes across as a modest man looking for love in the wrong places, the role of Inspector Doppler finds Victor Stalking serving the gumshoe with deliberate effect as he challenges Wyke's statements and limps around his home looking for evidence of a crime.

In his direction of "Sleuth," Ron Nash has put together a splendid production that, in addition to showcasing imaginative acting by its performers, also bristles along with catchy word-fencing and intensity of action. But, beyond promoting effective play between actors, the director has also created a set which is both realistic and appropriate for a mystery play.

Definitive in detail, Wyke's elegant home contains a variety of accoutrements ranging from bric-a-brac to typewriter, skeleton to human-size metal statue, chess game to dartboard and more than enough stuff to stoke a writer's imagination.